GAZETTE: A soldier who launched a vicious racist attack on the boss of a Chinese takeaway has been jailed for a year.

Neil Barton, who was in the Royal Logistics Corps, punched and kicked his victim after a night out drinking.

And after knocking Steven Wong to the ground, 29-year-old Barton started abusing the takeaway manager's wife as well as the owner of a neighbouring eatery.

A judge at Swindon Crown Court told the former soldier, who had to leave the Army as a result of the attack, that he would be failing in his duty if he didn't jail him.

Chris Jervis, prosecuting, told the court: "This was an appalling display of racial abuse by this defendant."

Barton and colleague Colin Best were based at RAF Hullavington and went into Chippenham town centre on the evening of Wednesday December 18, 2002.

After drinking in the Four Seasons bar they went to the New World takeaway in the Market Place at about 10pm to get something to eat.

Inside the takeaway while Best ordered some food Barton became abusive about the menu, Mr Jervis said.

He said "They were asked to leave and the money was returned. This defendant then began to abuse Mr Wong, gratuitous abuse."

Barton repeatedly swore at him using racist language before punching him while they were inside the premises.

Mr Wong then followed the men outside where Barton turned on him raining punches and kicks to his face.

As he attacked him he called him 'slant eyed' and punched him to the ground before he started to kick him.

Mr Jervis said that Mrs Wong and Parminderjit Singh, who runs the next door establishment, stepped in to try and stop the attack.

"Both were treated to abuse from this defendant who, almost face to face with Mrs Wong and whilst stabbing a finger in her face, called her a 'slant-eyed cow' and similar things."

He said Barton then started to abuse Mr Singh calling him a 'Paki' and saying 'Go back to your own country' and 'Why don't you all die'.

However he was arrested by off duty policemen who were having their Christmas party in the restaurant across the road from the takeaway.

When he was questioned he told police that the owner of the takeaway attacked him and his colleague with a cosh and denied any racist abuse. Mr Wong suffered cuts and bruises from the attack.

Barton, of Longmoor Lane, Fazacheley, Liverpool, admitted racially aggravated common assault on Mr Wong and racially aggravated threatening behaviour against Mr Wong's wife and Parminderjit Singh.

Charles Row, defending, said that his client was a man of good character who had effectively lost his job as a result of the incident.

He said that he was full of remorse for what he had done and could not believe he had behaved in that way.

As well as being forced out of the Army and losing some of his pension entitlement he said Barton then split from the mother of his two children.

He was now working in a glass factory and living with his mother.